Baking
by chloe-bug
Summary: She's playing you, Case!" Derek said. When he saw that she still didn't understand he took pity on her and explained. "Marti just wanted some cookies and maybe a cake and brownies, but none of this is for a bake sale!"


**Okay, I know that I'm in the middle of something else, but I got this idea and the words were flowing and I couldn't write anything else. So here it is! I don't own ife with Derek either. Hope you love it. Please review.**

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Derek groaned. Why did it feel like he was awake two hours before he was supposed to be? He glanced at the clock. 11:32 a.m. Oh. _That's_ why. He looked around his room as he tried to recall the reason he was awoken at this un-holy hour when a sweet scent clouded his senses. He slowly stood from his bed and straitened his pajamas before walking over the heaps of clothes on the floor to his door. Derek opened the door and trotted down the stairs, intent on finding the source of that heavenly scent. And Derek was rewarded when he walked into the kitchen to find Casey standing among cakes, cookies, pies, and brownies galore.

Casey was just reaching into the oven to pull out two trays of cookies and a cake before putting another cake and a pan of brownie mix in their place. She turned around to start frosting a tray of sugar cookies that had just finished cooling off only to jump back startled to find Derek standing there staring at all the baked goods.

"What are you doing up already?" She asked before reaching for the pink frosting and blue sprinkles.

Derek glanced up, his face blank. "What's all _this_ for?" He gestured to the food that covered every space on the counter, island, and table.

Casey glanced at the food as well and shrugged. "Marti came to me at about 7 this morning and said that mom forgot about the bake sale her school is having and she asked me to make the stuff for her since tomorrow's Monday and mom wouldn't have enough time to make all this when she got home from work."

"Why didn't dad bake then?" At Casey's raised eyebrow Derek shrugged. "Okay, why didn't dad _buy_ the stuff then?"

Casey rolled her eyes and concentrated on not putting too many sprinkles on the now frosted sugar cookies. "The stuff has to be home made, Derek." She put the sprinkles down and turned to the peanut butter cookie dough that still had to be printed with the fork. "Besides, George is dropping Lizzie and Edwin of at Lizzie's soccer practice then he's going into the office. Then when practice over, I was going to take Marti and Dimi with me to pick them up." She glanced up from her work to find Derek staring at the chocolate fudge cake that was finished and just needed to be boxed. "_But_, now that you're awake, you can go get them and I can keep working."

Derek looked up from the cake that he was _so_ tempted to mow down on and frowned at his step sister. "Why did you make so much?" She put down the fork, now done with her task, and moved on to take the eggs out of the fridge once more for another batch of brownies. Derek saw when she opened the fridge that the shelves inside were covered with more pies and cookies.

She snatched a piece of paper off of the fridge after she closed the door and handed it to Derek before starting to mix the brownie powder, eggs, water, and vegetable oil together. "Marti gave me a list of things that her teacher said she needed."

Derek looked at the bakery that was their kitchen and then at the list he now held. He could understand Marti's teacher asking for a pie or two and a couple batches of cookies, but everything Casey was making was on this list. This was ridiculous! How could anyone expect this much to be made? Derek was about to point out that even though Casey deserved to be in baking hell for stealing one of his c.d.s no one should have to make _this_ much for a second grader's bake sale, but then a thought hit him and he started to laugh.

Casey glanced up from the cookie mix that she was now adding chocolate chips to and glared at her laughing step brother. She raised her hands to her face checking for cookie dough or some mix or other, but when her fingers came back clean she checked her hair. Still up in the bun she had put it in before starting. She looked down at her self and saw that there were no stains on the front of her clothes so she craned her neck to see the back. All clear. So _what_ was his problem? And she asked him just that.

"God that is kid is _definitely_ my sister!" Was all he said when he could stop laughing enough to talk.

Casey frowned. "What do you mean?"

"She's playing you, Case!" Derek said. When he saw that she still didn't understand he took pity on her and explained. "Marti just wanted some cookies and maybe a cake and brownies, but none of this is for a _bake sale_! She probably thought you would only make a few things and not the _whole_ list!"

He started laughing again and Casey glanced at all the food she had baked and shook her head. "No way! If that was all Marti wanted then she would have just asked and I'd have made it for her." She glared up at Derek as he stopped laughing again. "You're just saying that so I'll stop and I won't get finished in time!"

"Casey? Why would I do that?" He rolled his eyes. Jeez! How could the girl be so smart and then come up with something like _that_?

Now Casey was laughing. "One: Because you're Derek! Two: You still think I took that stupid c.d. even though I didn't! And three: Because you're _Derek_!" She spat his name out like a curse word.

Derek chuckled. "Casey, if I were going to prank you for taking my c.d. - and I know you did -" Casey rolled her eyes. "I would let you continue on your merry way. _But_, I'm telling you Case, Marti is playing you like a sad violin." The oven rang and Casey pulled the cake and brownies out and replaced them with the cookies and brownies she had just mixed.

"If she is it's because _you_ told her to!" She pointed a rolling pin threatingly at him and he backed up smirking.

"Please! If I was going to prank you it would be something I was _sure_ you would do! Not something as crazy as _this_!" He waved a hand at the baked goods. "But fine! If you don't want to believe me, go ahead and bake your heart out. I'm gonna go change and then pick up Liz and Ed."

Casey stared wide eyed at his back as he left the kitchen to go up stairs. She felt kind of bad for making him mad at her. She was broken out of her trance however when Marti and Dimi walking through the back door, sweaty and dirty from playing in the back yard. Marti walked over to the fridge and pulled out two juice boxes and then she beamed up at Casey. "See Dimi! I told you she would make it _all_ for the bake sale! Because she's the best sister _ever_!"

Dimi nodded and Casey smiled at the small girl and her friend, forgetting her and Derek's conversation for the moment, but the slamming of the front door reminded her. She looked at Dimi and smiled. "Hey, Dimi? Could I speak to Marti alone for a minute? Why don't you go upstairs and play." Dimi nodded and Marti yelled at him not to touch her toys.

Marti looked up at the older girl. "What's up Casey?"

Casey kneeled beside her little sister and smiled softly. "Marti? Is there really a bake sale?" Marti looked down for a moment and then shook her head 'no.' Casey sighed. Derek was right. That thought put a bad taste in her mouth, but not as bad as it would have a few months ago. "Marti, why did you tell me that there was? If you wanted cookies or something I would have made you some."

"I know you would have, but -" She paused and looked down again. "But Dimi said I couldn't get you to bake everything on the list I gave you and I said I could, so we made a bet. And part of the bet was that I couldn't tell you about it, and the bake sale thing seemed to work." She looked back up at Casey with sad eyes. "Do you hate me now?"

Casey frowned. "Of course I don't hate you! But I'm kind of upset that you tricked me." She stopped for a moment. "What did you bet?"

Marti's frown quickly turned into a smile knowing she was forgiven. "We both bet our favorite toys."

"Well," Casey began with a smile. "We can't let you lose your favorite toy, now can we?" Marti's smile widened as she shook her head. Casey stood up. "I'll finish up in here and you go play with Dimi, but don't tell him I know about the bet, okay?" Marti nodded. "And I don't want you taking Dimi's favorite toy either, okay?" Marti nodded again, only now it was with a frown. "Now, go play." Marti ran off and Casey looked up startled once more to find Derek standing there again. She hadn't heard him or Lizzie or Edwin come in.

"Hey." Was the only thing he said, but he was smirking, so like Marti, she knew she was forgiven.

"Hi."

Derek pushed off of the door frame he was leaning on and started to walk around to her side of the counter. "Do you need any help?"

Casey smiled and shook her head. "No. I only have about a third of the list to go." Derek nodded. "Besides, the bet clearly stated that I was supposed to do all the baking by myself."

Derek nodded again and stood beside her as she went back to making a crust for another pie. "You know?" She looked up at him questioningly. "You _are_ a really great big sister." She smiled at him again as he leaned down to kiss her sweetly on the lips. He turned and walked away as she went back to her pie crust. "But -" He called over his shoulder, "I'm still going to get you back for that c.d."


End file.
